Carbureting gas-lamp



(No Model.)

A. KITSON GARBURETING GAS LAMP.

No. 385,873. Patented July 3, 1888.

N, PETERS. Phalwumognphnr. wumngmn, u. c.

Nrrnn STArns ARTHUR KITSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CARBURETENG GASwLAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 385,673, dated July 3,1888.

Application filed November 22, 1887. Serial No. 255,878. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern/..-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR KITsoN, a subject ofthe Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements inCarbureting GrasA Lamps, of Which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to carbureting gaslamps, and particularly to thatkind in which the gas in its passage to the burner is enriched with thevapors of asolid or crystalline hydrocarbon. 4

The main objects sought after by my improvements in the construction ofa carbureting-lamp are to provide, first, for the hastening of thecarbnreting operation; second, a method of carburation which willoperate effectively with every kind of combustible gas, which will workWell on very low gas-pressures, and which will carburet a small quantity of gas as effectively as a large quantity.

Heretofore in enriching gas -lamps Where solid hydrocarbons have beenused it has been customary to liquefy the top layer of the hydrocarbonin the vessel by conveying heat to it directly by the heated gas, or byconduction by means of heated metal inserted in the ma terial, or byliquefying the entire mass of hydrocarbon in the vessel by the burnersplaced beneath the vessel, while the gas requiring to be enriched hashitherto been brought in contact with the top layer of hydrocarbon,Where it has mixed With the volatilized matter. The enriched gas hasthen ascended directly to the burners, or to a pipe leading to theburners. In every instance the enriched gas has had to ascend beforereaching the burners.

I have discovered that only gases which have an afnity for the vapor ofnaphthaline can be enriched by the above mentioned method, and thatheavy gases-such as producer 7 gas, which contains many impuritiesfailto take up any perceptible quantity of' cir riching vapor. Vhen,however, a suliicieut quantity of hydrocarbon vapor is injected orotherwise conducted into the burner-tube, it will burn freely with anykind of combustible gas, producing a flame of great brilliance. In themethods heretofore employed considerable time, varying from fteen tothirty minutes,

has elapsed after lighting the burners before the process of Carburationcommenced. In cases where the gas-pressure has been very low the processhas failed to act completely, and With a consumption of less than threefeet per hour no lamp hitherto constructed has been able to operatesuccessfully.

My invention consists in liquefying the bottom layer of hydrocarboncontained in the car- 5o bureting-vessel and running a thin stream ofthe liquid by gravity into a tube or chamber which is heated by theflame of the burner,and through which the unenriched gas passes on itsway to the burner. In this chamber the liqnid becomes instantlyvaporized by the heat, and is carried on down to the burner by gravityand by the motion of the gas..

It will thus be seen that the method I employ differs essentially fromthose hitherto enr 7o ployed in the following particulars: iirst, thatonly the bottom layer of hydrocarbon is liquefied, the upper portionremaining comparatively cool; second, that as soon as the smallestquantity of enriching material is liquefied the gas becomes fullycarbureted; third, that advantage is taken oi the greater specic gravityof the vapor by causing it to descend direct from the vessel to theburner.

Gases, therefore, which have no affinity for 8o the heavy hydrocarbonvapors, and which in all hitherto existing devices would pass to theburners unenriched, become enriched by my method to the same degree asdo gases which are easily enriched, such as coal-gas.

The means by which I carry my invention into effect are illustrated inthe annexed drawing, which represents a vertical section of my improvedlamp.

A represents the hydrocarbon-reservoir, to 9o the bottom of which ametallic rod, R, is attached and connects with the metal Vaporizing andcarbureting tube or chamber E. The main supply-pipe P connects with athree-way valve. (Shown at C.) To this valve the pipes p p' areattached, and one of them, as p, eX- tends down and connects with thechamberE, near the supply-pipe, admitting hydrocarbon liquid, and intowhich chamber it delivers its supply of gas, and the other one, p',connects roo directly with the chamber, close to the burnerpipc B.

K is a met-al casting, which is provided with a valve having anoperating-button, H. rIhis valve serves to admit the supply of enriching'material to the pipef, or shut it ot't.

S is a small screw for contracting the opening which runs through thecasting K, and thus regulates the flow of liquid to E. The smallpipefcarries the supply of hydrocarbon to the chamber E from the vesselA.

D is a disk of metal, and serves to protect the vessel A and valve Kfrom the direct heat of the flame.

rPhe lamp is operated as follows: After turning on the supply of gas atC through the pipe p, the burner is lighted. The valve Vis then turnedand the screw S gently unscrcwed until suflicient hydrocarbon isconveyed to the gas. Ihe heat from the dame rapidly heats the chamber E,pipe f, and lower layer of hydrocarbon in A by conduction through themetallic rod R. The liquid flows through K l and trickles gently downpipefinto the vaporizing and carbureting chamber E, where it isinstantly Vaporized by the heat. The gas from pipe p, issuing intochamber E at m, carries the vapor to the burneropening O, whence itdescends to the burner. When the screw S is once regulated to a givensupply of gas, it should remain unaltered. The rich gas may be dilutedto any degree by means of the cock C, and a supply of plain gas sentthrough pipe p direct to burner.

G is a piece of fine gauze stretched diametrically across the chamber'E, to give steadiness to the flame and prevent pulsations resulting fromthe flow or dropping of enriching material into the chamber. In place ofthis gauze I often use some brous material or absorbent. Theliquidhydrocarbon then falls upon this material and is absorbed by it, and theheat from the burner instantly vaporizes it. The gas passes through thisabsorbent, and is thus thoroughly impregnated with the enriching vapors.This arrangementlikewise prevents the pulsations in the light resultingfrom the flow or dropping of the liquid hydrocarbon into the chamber.

An additional advantage is also derived from using an absorbent in that,by retaining an amount of vapor after turning off the gas, when thelight is again required, the absorbent gives off its vapor before thematerial in the reservoir is liquefied, and the increased illuminationis obtained almost immediately after lighting. Cotton waste or asbestusor any good absorbent may be used. Before turning oft' the gas it isnecessary to close the valve V, to prevent the filling of chamber E withthe hydrocarbon after the light is extinguished. If the pipe f issufticiently large, a partition of porous material-such as unglazedearthenware-may be placed in it, as is shown at z', and the How ofliquid regulated by the degree of porosity of the partition.

It will be seen that since the heatis directed immediately onto thematerial the enriching or carbureting operation commences almostimmediately after lighting the burner, that the heat of a very smallquantity of burning gas is sufficient to operate the lamp, and that asthe vapor is actually poured into the burnertube it cannot fail toenrich every kind of combustible gas. Finally, the lamp, it will beseen, operates the same, no mattter how large or small be the amount ofenriching material in the reservoir A.

The degree of heat directed on chamber E may be varied by turning theburner and burner-arm directly under or away from it. It will be seenthat the lamp can be made with one or more burners, and that thesmallestsized burners may be advantageously employed. n

By reversing the position of the arms p p and valve C the lamp can beattached at once onto existing gas-brackets and chandelierarms.

The form of the lamp may be easily varied and adapted to various uses.

Having fully described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, 1s-

l. In an enriching gas-lamp for enriching gas or air with the vapors oi"solid hydrocarbons, the combinatiomwith a gas-supply pipe, a hydrocarbonreservoir, and a gas-burner placed beneath said reservoir, of avaporizing and carbureting chamber communicating with the burner-pipeand situated immediately above the gas-burner and beneath thehydrocarbon-reservoir, and separate passage-ways connecting respectivelysaid chamber to the bottom of the hyd rocarbon-reservoir and gassupplypipe, by which the gas and hydrocarbon are conveyed to the chamberindependently, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In an enriching gas-lamp,the combination of a hydrocarbon reservoir,a gas burner placed beneath said vessel, a vaporizing and carburetingchamber placed between the gasburner and hydrpcarbon-reservoir, apassageway leading from the bottom of the reservoir to the chamber, bywhich the hydrocarbon is conducted to the chamber in a liquid state, anda valve for controlling the flow of hydrocarbon into said chamber, witha gas-supply pipe and gas-burner pipe, both connected to said chamber,substantially as described.

3. In an enriching gaslamp, the combination, with ahydrocarbon-reservoir,gasburner, and supply-pipe, of a vaporizing andcarbureting chamber connected with the lower part of the hydrocarbonreservoir and with gasburner pipe, and containinga porous partitionplaced diametrically across its bore to regulate the supply ofhydrocarbon vapor to the burner, and a gas-inlet pipe connecting withsuch chamber, substantially as described.

4. In an enriching gas-lamp, the combination, with a hydrocarbon-reservoir, a gasburner and its supply-pipe, of a vaporizing andcarbureting chamber placed immediately over the burner and beneath thehydrocarbonreservoir, and containing a gauze partition placedsectionally across said chamber, and

communicating with the bottom of the hydroA carbon-reservoir by a tubeor passageway, and a gas-inlet pipe connecting with thevaporizing-chamber, substantially as and for the purpose hereindescribed.

5. In a carbureting gas-lamp for enriching gas With the vapors of asolid hydrocarbon, the combination, with a hydrocarbon-reservoir, agas-burner and its supply-pipe, of a Vaporizing and carbureting tube orchamber having,` a connected gas-inlet pipe and connecting with thereservoir by a hydrocarbon-supply tube7 and an absorbent or poroussubstance placed in the vaporizing and carbureting tube or chamber,whereby pulsation or jumping of the gas-dame is prevented and a steadylight is secured.

6. In an enriching gas-lamp, the combina tion, with a hydrocarbonreservoir7 a gasburner placed below said reservoir, a Vaporizing:r andcarbureting chamber for volatilizing the hydrocarbon and mixing the gaswith the vapor, a gas-supply pipe communicating with said chamber, apassage-Way leading from the hydrocarbon-reservoir to the chamber, and avalve for controlling,` thc admission of hydrocarbons from the reservoirto the chamber, of a metallic rod connecting the chamber With thereservoir for conducting the heat of the flames to the hydrocarbon inreservoir, and a disk-partition placed between the reservoir and chamberfor dispersing the heated products of combustion,substantially asdescribed.

7. In an enriching gas-lamp, the combination of a hydrocarbonreservoir,a gasburner placed beneath said reservoir, a vaporizing and carburetingchamber situated immediately over the burner and beneath the reservoir,apassageway having a controlling-valve leading from said reservoir tothe heatingchamber, with a gas-valve and suitable pipes connecting thesaid valve to the heating-chamber and burner-pipe, respectively., bywhich the supply of enriched and unenriched gas to the burner isproportioned and regulated, substantially as described.

ARTHUR KITSON. Vitnesses:

H. F. DREIFoos, S. CROUTHE.

